Sunshine and Ice
by Katrina Quantrainn
Summary: Can a heart of ice be melted by a heart of sunshine?
1. Maya

Malika saw him first. The new guy, I mean. We were standing on the edge of the waterfalls, and she bumped me and pointed him out. "Look at that," she whispered, her eyes wide. "He's..." I cut her off. "He's old, 'Lika. Look at him."  
  
"Like age matters here." She stuck her tongue out at me and we laughed. It was true. We were both over a thousand years old ourselves. Ok, so we didn't look it. But we were. Besides, Malika was always looking for her true love. I tried to tell her over and over that you find your true love when you're alive, not after you're dead. She never believes me. Anyway, this grizzled man with the scar and the really big sword really fascinated her. "I wonder who he is?" She sat down and watched him. He ignored the other people and just walked to a darker corner, under the trees.  
  
"HEY!" I stared. "That's our spot."  
  
Malika just grinned. I rolled my eyes. "Here we go."  
  
Maybe I should explain a little bit. My name is Maya, and Malika is my best friend. We're dead. I suppose I should be a little more upset about that, but it's been a thousand years after all. It doesn't really bother me. We live on the Farplane, along with the others who died in Zanarkand, during Sin's first attack. It's not so bad, after a while. Its really nice here. Anyhow, Malika and I are 24. Our parents were best friends, and so we are too. Malika's always on the lookout for the true love she missed when we were alive. Me, I could care less, but in my opinion, true love is something found in life.  
  
Sorry. Guess I got sidetracked.  
  
When we got down, she walked up to the stranger. "Hi there."  
  
He kind of gave her a funny look, and went back to cleaning his sword. She cleared her throat, and I rolled my eyes again. "I said hello, mister. Aren't you going to say hi back?"  
  
He paused and then answered her in a gravely voice. "No." That took her by surprise a little bit. "Why not?" I grabbed her arm. "Malika, leave the man alone. Sorry, mister." I drug her off by the arm. "'Lika, what are you doing?! He quite obviously didn't want to talk." She nodded. "I know. But he seems so sad!"  
  
"Sad? He seems cold to me, not sad." She shook her head, but dropped it. For now.  
  
I watched her from a distance after that, letting her talk to the strange man without me. I guess I'm just the cautious one. I'm of the mindset of live and let live. Even though we're not living. But she wouldn't leave him alone. I got to thinking he was like ice. He was always cold, and brusque with her. Never quite rude, which I suppose is why she kept after him. But he was never friendly. Now that I think about it, I guess Malika was our ray of sunshine. She would come to me, and tell me about the new thing that he had done. He... frightened me, I think. But she was never afraid. She came over to my place one night, laughing and flushed.  
  
"He said hello."  
  
I blinked. "What?"  
  
"He said hello. The man under the trees."  
  
I nodded. "And?"  
  
"And nothing. He said hi. That's as far as I've gotten."  
  
I sighed. "Well, congratulations, I guess."  
  
She nodded, hugged me goodnight, and went back to her place.  
  
Another time, a giggling, delighted Malika tackled me in the middle of the field.  
  
"What, did he say hello again?" "Yeah, but that's not all. His name is Auron."  
  
I nodded. "And that's all he said, huh." Her smile never faded as she nodded happily. I just sighed and patted her on the head, to which she stuck out her tongue. We spent the rest of the day picking flowers and talking.  
  
Months passed and every day, Malika was there, pestering Auron. I enjoyed watching her. I also enjoyed watching him, but it was because of the strange looks on his face whenever Malika bounded into the area. I wasn't about to follow her over there, though.  
  
One night, Malika got sick. It was nerve wracking for me, because its rare to get sick once you're dead, but it does happen. I sat up all night, caring for her. I wasn't aware of it at the time, but because she got sick, she missed her "usual" time to go but Auron. At just before dawn, I heard a knock on our door, and went to answer it.  
  
My heart skipped a beat.  
  
Auron stood there, silently. He looked right over my head, into the room, and saw Malika.  
  
It might have been my imagination, but I swear his good eye widened for a second. He turned and leaned on the doorframe, his sword resting across his back. I just closed the door quietly, leaving it open a crack, and went back to my friend. The night caught up to me and I fell asleep beside the bed, and the next morning I was awoken by Malika hugging me. I hugged her back and checked her over.  
  
"Are you ok?"  
  
She nodded. "Yeah, I'm ok. I feel a hundred percent better."  
  
"Ok." Then I remembered Auron's late night visit, and walked to the door. When I opened it, he was gone, almost as if he had never been there. But there were boot prints in the grass.  
  
I think it was then that I started to trust him. I think it was about another month before Malika bombarded me with another Auron Achievement. This time she stumbled up wide-eyed. "Maya... Auron knew Jecht." My heart stopped. Like any Zanarkand girl, I grew up worshiping the blitzball champion. We had been eleven when Jecht had disappeared, and anyone who had actually known the man was an incredible find for us. "No... way."  
  
As you can imagine, the rest of the day was spent remembering Jecht and all his achievements.  
  
The next time I saw him, though, he was still under our trees. Malika was at lunch with her family, so I walked over to him. He glanced up and then went back to his normal silent stillness.  
  
"Hey." He didn't move. "I just wanted to say thanks. You know, for coming to see Malika."  
  
He still didn't move. This was getting unnerving. "So... thanks." I turned and fled, and spent the rest of the day at the top of the waterfall where we had first seen him.  
  
Grinning, Malika cornered me at the house one day. "You remember that blonde blitzer you liked so much? Tidus?"  
  
"Jecht's kid, yeah, why?"  
  
"Auron knew him too. Pretty well, it seems."  
  
I wrinkled my nose and sighed. "Too bad I'm dead, huh. Maybe he could have set me up."  
  
Together we laughed and talked for a few hours, before she went home again.  
  
This was how it was, for months. She would show up every few weeks with another tidbit of information from Auron, and we would chat about whatever it brought to mind. We spent a lot of time together, so I was never jealous of Auron. Besides, it had been a long time since Malika had been this happy and entertained. I enjoyed seeing her like this.  
  
Auron started to leave that little grotto under our trees, walking with Malika. Sometimes I went, but usually they were out after dark. Less people, she said, and so it was more comfortable. More privacy.  
  
One of the days that I went with them, we were ambushed by a gang of fiends.  
  
Maybe I should explain how we have fiends in the Farplane. The entire place is made up of memories of the dead. In the beginning, there were no fiends because Zanarkand didn't have fiends. But as more and more people from post-Sin Spira showed up, they brought their memories of fiends with them. The only exception to the rule is Sin. It's never showed up here. The farther away from the waterfalls and clearings you go, the worse the fiends are. Of course, this was the day that Malika talked us into going outside the field and into the woods.  
  
Anyway, the fiends were bigger than we were used to. A lot bigger. Malika and I were not at all equipped to handle this, and as the first one lunged for us, I squeezed my eyes shut. I heard a dull thud and a yipe of pain. When I looked, Malika and I were sitting on the ground, clinging to each other, and Auron was standing over the very dead fiend, waiting for the next one to attack. It took him one hit. Those monsters were strong. Auron was stronger. He turned and helped us up. For the first time, I heard him speak more than one word at a time.  
  
"Are you ok?"  
  
I nodded as Malika said we were.  
  
"Good. Wouldn't want you two hurt."  
  
The walk was ended then, as he turned and started back toward the fields. We looked at each other, and followed meekly. But I saw something in Malika's eyes that night.  
  
The next morning, we were sitting on the waterfall again, and Malika spoke.  
  
"I think I love him, Maya."  
  
"I know." I had seen it the other night, when he had saved us. "I saw."  
  
She nodded and leaned against me, staring down at the waterfall below us. "What will you do?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
I knew what she'd do. She'd do the same thing she always did. Nothing.  
  
I'm not sure when I changed my mind about love after death, but I knew at that point that it was possible.  
  
"I think you should tell him."  
  
And I told her about the night she had gotten sick, when he had come to find her.  
  
Her eyes widened and she chewed on her lip. "I don't want to ruin it, Maya. What if..."  
  
I cut her off. "Don't talk like that, hon. I think he returns that love. Just... in a much quieter manner."  
  
She went to her next rendezvous with him and asked me to come with her. She said it was just for moral support. I agreed, sitting with my back to a tree, hidden behind a bush. I'm sure he knew I was there, but he never mentioned it. He must have been around young women before. I'm sure it tipped him off that there was something different about tonight.  
  
"Hey, Auron." "Hello."  
  
She sat down, and I noticed that she seemed a lot older now. More mature, I mean. It was like being around him helped her to grow up a lot. She had always been the playful, screwy one. Now, she was still cheery and playful, but she was less prone to doing stupid kid stuff. "What's up?"  
  
He looked at her and a small smile crept to his lips. "You didn't come here to exchange pleasantries, Malika. What's wrong?"  
  
I had never seen him like this. He was acting normally, smiling and talking. Was this what Malika had done?  
  
She sighed, and leaned back against another tree. "Just messed up a bit, that's all." She smiled a bit and looked at him. "Auron, have you ever been in love?" He nodded. "I did, once. When I was a little older than you."  
  
She grinned. "You were never older than me, but I know what you mean." He laughed under his breath. It was a low, chuckling laugh. It was also the first time I had ever heard him do it. "It didn't work out?"  
  
He shook his head. "It would have. But I was called to do something else. She wasn't."  
  
"Oh."  
  
I was getting butterflies myself. What would he say?  
  
Malika played with a bit of grass.  
  
"Are you in that situation now? Loving someone?" He watched her face, and I was sure that he knew exactly what was happening. On the other hand, I had no clue what he'd do about it. She nodded slowly. "Yeah. I am. I'm just afraid that he'd think of me as a kid. He's a lot older than me, you know." She glanced up at him, watching for a reaction.  
  
Apparently I was wrong, because he figured it out at that moment, and he looked as though someone had kicked him. I could see him scanning through his mind about the guys we spent time with, and coming up with the fact that the only one significantly older than she was... His eye widened and he pushed his sunglasses up to cover it.  
  
"Malika, you're not a child. Anyone with even one good eye could see that."  
  
Now it was her turn to look amazed and shocked. "Really?"  
  
"Really."  
  
I moved away at that point. It seemed everything was going just fine.  
  
From then on, you rarely saw Malika without Auron nearby. He never really became friendly, not the way that most people think of it. But Malika never minded. She had fallen in love with him because of his personality.  
  
Near the beginning of this story, I told you that Auron seemed like ice.  
  
Well, Malika is sunshine. And even the toughest block of ice will melt if it's left in the sun too long.  
  
I think that's just what happened here. 


	2. Auron

She was beautiful.  
  
That was all I could think.  
For once, she had me at a loss for words. Usually I was quiet by choice,  
but this time... I couldn't think anything except "Thank you for giving me  
this woman."  
I remember the first day we met... I thought she was a nut. A crazy girl. A  
child.  
How wrong I was.  
Maya was beside her, wearing the faded blue that Malika loved so much, and  
that was her whole wedding party. Behind me stood Braska and Jecht, side by  
side. I had one best man than she did maid of honor, but neither of us  
cared. The veil covering her face muted her eyes, which were the brightest  
sparkling green I had ever seen. I could see them even through the lace. It  
felt like an eternity before they reached us, up at the old tree we had  
first met under. Maya took Malika's flowers and stood off to one side and  
Braska, as a summoner and a priest of Yevon, began the ceremony. I don't  
remember what was said. Nor do I remember answering. But I remember taking  
her hands, and I remember putting the ring on her finger. It was a custom  
made ring I had asked a local goldsmith to make for me. Inside, written in  
Al Bhed, were the words I rarely said. "I love you."  
She was radiant.  
One set of words from Braska I –did- hear. "You may now kiss your bride." I  
lifted her veil slowly, and pushed it back over her hair. The breath I had  
just taken to prepare for the kiss was sucked away. She was truly beyond  
words. Her eyes shone green, and her lips were a soft shell pink. Her black  
hair was swept up from her face, leaving only a few tendrils curling down,  
and she was nibbling her lip, in that way she did. Her eyes met mine, and I  
reached down to cup her cheek.  
We had never kissed before.  
Come to think of it, I'd never kissed –anyone- before.  
The sensation was... was... indescribable. Her lips were soft, and firm at the  
same time, and her hand came up to my chest. After a few seconds, I could  
hear a rumbling sound in the background and as we came back to reality, I  
realized it was applause. She was pink-cheeked, and I might have been a  
little flushed as well. But I was certainly not blushing.  
As I took her hand, we turned to face the crowd... as Braska spoke once more.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Auron and Malika... as man and wife." 


	3. Malika

"Don't pick that up, let me get that!" Auron snagged the box from my hands  
and I staggered. "Auron, please don't grab things. I'm off balance as it  
is!" I laughed, my hand resting on my tummy. "And I'd really rather not  
fall." He was being very sweet, and rather overprotective. "Besides, the  
box was light. I'm pregnant, not broken." I picked up a second box, careful  
to choose a light one. "And it's not that far a walk." It wasn't at all,  
either. Just around the corner to the new house.  
Things on the Farplane aren't much different than things were in Zanarkand.  
Or Spira, for that matter.  
We had chosen a bigger home because ours right now was really small. I had  
been living there alone for a long time, before Auron had been sent. I used  
to tease him, saying, "Where have you been all my death?" I know, it's a  
corny joke, but it was cute at the time. Besides, what good is life without  
some corny humor?  
  
Anyway, our old home was a single room place, and that just wouldn't cut it  
anymore. So we had been scouting around and finally found a spot to build  
on. There was always a plentiful supply of wood, though. It took Auron and  
two of his friends seven months to build it. It was nice, too, with windows  
looking out over the waterfalls and the tree right out back.  
  
I love that tree. It was where I first met Auron.  
I'm just grateful that the weather in our part of the Farplane was always  
nice, and rarely stormy. I love my husband to death, but I really don't  
trust his building... or that of Jecht and Braska, for that matter!  
I carried the box over and set it down, taking out the smaller knickknacks  
I had acquired or made in the last... well, thousand years or so.  
Surprisingly, there are a very few of them. When you'll live for eternity,  
you really learn how to pare things down. Most of the stuff coming over  
wasn't in boxes, so the few things we had were carefully placed on their  
shelves and windowsills, and the furniture, (once again moved by Jecht,  
Auron and Braska,) was already in place. Everything but the bed was put in  
its spot, neatly lined up to be safe and out of the way. Auron always  
thought ahead like that, making sure it would be safe for the baby and for  
me. I was in the kitchen when I heard the first bang. It startled me, for  
sure! I almost dropped the figurine I was holding. Putting it down, I made  
my way to the door in time to see Jecht swearing and hopping around on one  
food, and Braska and Auron laughing so hard I thought they would fall over.  
Right in the middle of it all was my bed, the biggest and heaviest piece of  
furniture I had kept. I covered my grin with my hand and tried to look  
serious. "What happened in here?"  
"Nothing, dear." Auron was trying desperately to keep a straight face.  
Braska wasn't bothering, but just laughing hard enough to need to sit down.  
I couldn't help but giggle. "Jecht, are you alright?" The big blitzball  
idol of my childhood nodded, and, in a fit of anger, kicked the bed again.  
This only resulted in another yelp of pain.  
I guess I should explain.  
My bed is a king sized box spring and mattress, which isn't terribly heavy.  
The bed frame itself, however, was. It was carved from stone from the top  
of the waterfalls, which is as close to the living world as we can get. It  
also weighs enough to break a man's foot, if he's not careful.  
You can see why I'd be worried.  
But Jecht seemed just fine, and after much grunting, swearing and a few  
more loud thuds and angry yells, it was in place in the bedroom. Mostly. It  
wasn't where it was supposed to be, and it was at a funny angle, but it was  
at least far enough that we could shut the door.  
It took a lot of cookies and milk to sooth their wounded pride.  
It's not every day that the three greatest heroes in the history of Spira  
are defeated by a bed.  
As the sun sank behind the waterfalls, Auron's two friends went home, and  
the two of us watched the water turn red with the falling light. As the  
stars shone in the sky above us, we went back inside...  
Into our new home. 


	4. Maya

OH MY! dances I got a review! This inspires me! I write, this time, for Lady Zhen Ji who reviewed and pounced, begged and pleaded for an update... so... here you go! blush  
  
I held my best friend as she sat with her head on my lap, and my anger fumed.   
Malika, unaware of her surroundings, was clinging to my skirt, her face buried in my lap, and sobs racking her body.   
On the floor, staring up at his mommy, was a little darkhaired boy with soft chocolate eyes. "Mama?" He tugged at her dress, and I reached down and collected him onto what was left of my lap.   
"Nanti Maya... why is Mama crying?"   
I brushed Malika's hair with one hand and cuddled her son with the other. "Mama's just sad, Luka. Why don't you go play with your nuncle, kay?" I put him down and he scampered outside to Braska. Reaching down, I wrapped my arms around my best friend and held her, my own anger rising, bubbling to the surface.  
  
Auron had really done it this time.  
  
Several hours later, Malika had cried herself into exhaustion. I covered her softly in a blanket, and lay her sleeping boy beside her. They made the sweetest picture, and I took a mental snapshot as I walked out the door.   
  
Auron would pay tonight.  
  
I stormed around the village, looking for the big man. "Where in the Farplane did that man go?" I snarled and muttered to myself as I searched. Finally, I rounded the corner and froze solid.  
  
Under the tree where they had met, the huge warrior was on his knees. In his hands was... from what I could tell, it was a snapshot. A small picture I had painted of Malika and Luka, a few months after the boy was born. At first, I thought he was just sitting there, but as I crept closer, I could see his shoulders shaking.  
  
My first instinct was to turn away, but for some reason, I was drawn to him. This big man, sitting alone crying under a tree. I slipped around, up the cliff wall by way of a small path that Malika and I had found years ago, and hid myself behind a bush.   
  
Only after I was settled did I remember that this was my hiding place last time I heard him confess his love for her.  
  
Peeking from between the branches, I could make out clearly as he spoke. His rough face was trailed with silver tears, and his voice kept cracking.   
  
"I'm so sorry... I never meant to say those things. They were all lies anyway. I love you... "  
  
My heart twisted.   
  
"You're really beautiful. I lied when I said that I never told you that because maybe it wasn't true. It is true. You are beautiful."  
  
This time it was me who covered my mouth, and it was to stifle a cry of pain.  
  
"I just can't say things like that. I try, but then... my mouth freezes up... and its because I'm so in awe of how beautiful you are. Maybe if I dont tell you, noone else will notice and you'll never leave me."  
  
My jaw worked soundlessly as he continued speaking to the small picture.  
  
"And I love Luka. I do love my son. I'm so proud of him... I just don't know what to say. What do I do? He's so small... so fragile. I'm afraid if I pick him up, I'll hurt him... and I never ever want to hurt him."  
  
By this time, tears streamed down my face.   
  
"I love you both... so very much. And now... I've managed to lose you. Like I always lose my chances at happiness."  
  
This statement slapped me hard. He believed he'd lost them? I crept down from my hiding place, and quietly walked up beside him. "Auron."  
  
He jumped as though I had kicked him. Then his shoulders slumped again. He was waiting for the final blow, my statement she never wanted to see him again. I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Auron-san, Malika's asleep at the house. Why don't you go get her and Luka and take them home."   
  
He shook his head. "I can't. She'll never want to see me again, not after what I said to her."   
  
I knelt down beside him. It was painful, to see this proud warrior broken like this. "No... thats not true. Take her home, tell her all the things you tell her here." I tapped the picture in his hands, disturbing the teardrops on it. "She loves you very much." He barely moved, glancing at me. "Its true." I nodded, reassuring him. Slowly, he rose. "A-are you sure?" I nodded again. "Positive. Go to my house, collect your wife and son. Take them home and never let them forget how much you love them." He nodded again, and with a slow, steady gait he walked away across the meadow. I watched him walk away before heading back to my place several minutes later.  
  
As I opened the door, the little room was empty and I smiled. Good.  
  
The next morning, I stretched and walked outside, in time to see Auron kiss Malika goodbye before heading out to fight fiends. I waved, and she smiled radiantly at me.  
  
Apparently, all was well in that household again.  
  
As Auron walked past me, he paused. "Thank you." He didn't look at me. "Thank you for giving me back the best thing that ever happened to me." He continued on before I could speak, and I watched him, a bemused smile on my face.   
  
I had come out here intending to raise hell.   
  
Instead, I had ressurected one man's Heaven.   
  
Not bad... don't you think? 


End file.
